Electronically operated remote control systems, such as garage door opener systems, home security systems, home lighting systems, gate controllers, etc., typically employ a portable, hand-held transmitter (i.e., an original transmitter) to transmit a control signal to a receiver located at the remote control system. For example, a garage door opener system typically includes a receiver located within a home owner's garage and coupled to the garage door opener. A user presses a button on the original transmitter to transmit a radio frequency signal to the receiver to activate the garage door opener to open and close a garage door. Accordingly, the receiver is tuned to the frequency of its associated original transmitter and demodulates a predetermined code programmed into both the original transmitter and the receiver for operating the garage door. To enhance security of wireless control systems, such as a garage door opener system, manufacturers commonly use encryption technology to encrypt the radio frequency signal sent from a transmitter to a receiver. One such encryption method is a rolling code system, wherein each digital message sent from the transmitter to the receiver has a different code from the previous digital message.
As an alternative to a portable, hand-held original transmitter, a trainable transmitter or transceiver may be provided in a vehicle for use with remote control systems. A trainable transmitter is configurable by a user to activate one or more of a plurality of different remote control system receivers using different radio frequency messages. Typically, training a trainable transmitter to an existing original transmitter is a two-step process. First, a user holds the two transmitters in close range and presses buttons on the original transmitter and the trainable transmitter. The trainable transmitter identifies the type of remote control system associated with the original transmitter based on a radio frequency signal received from the original transmitter. For example, the trainable transmitter may identify and store the control code and RF carrier frequency of the original transmitter radio frequency control signal. Second, the receiver may learn a transmitter identifier of the trainable transmitter. For systems employing a rolling code (or other encryption method), the trainable transceiver and receiver must also be “synchronized” so that the counters of the trainable transmitter and the receiver begin at the same value. Accordingly, the user presses a button on the receiver to put the receiver in a training mode. A button on the trainable transceiver may then be pressed, for example, two to three times, within a set period of time to transmit messages so the receiver may learn the transmitter identifier, complete synchronization of the receiver and the trainable transmitter and confirm that training was successful. Once trained, the trainable transmitter may be used to transmit RF signals to control the remote control system.
As mentioned, the second step of the training process requires a user to put the receiver of the remote control system in a training mode. Accordingly, the user may need to climb a ladder to press a button on the remote control system receiver and then return to a vehicle to press a button of the trainable transmitter within a set period of time. A user may also not know that their remote control system (e.g., a garage door opener system) is a rolling code system and therefore requires the second step of the training process. Accordingly, the user may not perform the second step and the trainable transmitter will not operate the remote control system.